The latest news from and about EngenderHealth, a leading international nonprofit working in sexual and reproductive health. For more information, visit our web site or join us on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Friday, May 18, 2012

“Our goal is to be sure that women can have the number of children they want, and not the number of children that their circumstances dictate.”

~ President Pamela W. Barnes

Last week, Alice Radio (97.3) in San Francisco featured Pam Barnes on its Sunday Magazine program to discuss the top reproductive health challenges facing women today and what EngenderHealth is doing to address them.

Listen to the interview here. Or, skip to the topics that interest you:

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The number of women who are dying in pregnancy and childbirth is on the decline, according to new estimates released by the United Nations today.

Over the last 20 years, the number of annual maternal deaths has dropped
by nearly 50%, falling from 543,000 in 1990 to 287,000 in 2010. This
achievement is a testament to the global efforts undertaken to support
mothers' health.

While global progress has been made, particularly in East Asia, many countries will not achieve Millennium Development Goal 5, which seeks to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new estimates are developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World
Bank.

Read the full report here. Also, learn more about how EngenderHealth supports maternal health programs around the world.